1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a filter head installed on a water purification line in which water is purified by using a filter and a filter cartridge assembly detachably attached to the filter head, and more particularly, to a filter cartridge assembly in which the filter cartridge is automatically detachable from the filter head by repeatedly pushing the filter cartridge in a vertical direction without any manipulation.
In addition, when the filter cartridge is detached by repeatedly pushing the filter cartridge, a bypass passage and a water purification passage are selectively formable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, a single filter or plural filters may be used on a water purification line of a water purifier or a refrigerator required to purify water according to use. Such a filter is installed in a cartridge and the filter installed cartridge is frequently exchanged while being detachably attached to a filter head.
Thus, when the filter cartridge which is detachably installable to the filter head, is inserted into the filter head, a water purification passage is formed to purify water through a filter in the filter cartridge. If the filter cartridge is separated from the filter head, an inlet, which is formed in the filter head and connected to an external water supply line, is directly connected to an outlet through which the purified water is discharged so that a bypass function is formed to prevent water from leaking out from the filter head. If the bypass function does not exist, after the water supplied through the water supply line is blocked, the filter cartridge must be exchanged.
In general, it must be taken into consideration to fix the filter cartridge to withstand the water pressure transferred through the water supply line in a state that the filter cartridge is installed to the filter head, to prevent water from leaking from the water purification passage through which the inlet communicates with the outlet in a state that the filter head is installed, and to stabilize the communication of the bypass passage in the filter head in a state that the filter cartridge is separated from the filter head.
Therefore, in consideration of the above, when the filter cartridge is installed into the filter head, a locking unit requiring an additional manipulation (such as a rotation) is used to prevent the filter cartridge from being separated from the filter head after the filter cartridge is installed into the filter head. Since the locking unit is focused on the firm fixing of the filter, it may be difficult to exchange the filter cartridge to be frequently exchanged.
An automatic switching between the bypass passage and the water purification passage in detaching a filter cartridge has been disclosed in Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1311654.
In addition, a scheme of installing a filter cartridge by pushing the filter cartridge into a filter head while a bypass passage and a water purification passage automatically switch with each other had been disclosed in US Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0139698 A1 wherein, when a filter is fittingly pushed into and assembled with the filter head, a passage is formed on a side surface of the filter, so that a hydraulic pressure on the filter is reduced.
However, in this case, since the filter should be pulled to be separated from the filter head, it is difficult to assemble or disassemble the filter. In addition, in a state that the filter is assembled with the filter head, to prevent the filter from being arbitrarily separated from the filter head, even though a small hydraulic pressure is applied on the filter, an O-ring must be tightly closed to a sealing part while the filter is tightly fitted into the filter head. Due to such a structure, since great force is applied to assemble or disassemble the filter, it is difficult to assemble or disassemble the filter with the filter head. In addition, during the assembling or disassembling of the filter, the O-ring installed to the sealing part may be damaged.
In addition, a latching assembly assembled with a bracket, which moves toward one side when being pushed and returns to the original position when pressure thereon is removed, had been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,097,157 B2, where the latching assembly is elastically supported at both sides in a rotational direction by a spring, and a filter cartridge is assembled or disassembled while the latching assembly is rotated by the assembling and disassembling operation of the filter cartridge.
However, even in such a manner that the filter is assembled in such a rotating latch structure, the bracket and latching assembly are configured with several components to perform the rotational operation and the spring is necessarily required for elastic restoring force, so that the structure is complex.
In addition, a detaching scheme employing a structure of a rack type had been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,137,551 B1, wherein, since a rack structure is provided at a central portion of a filter cartridge between a supply flow passage and a discharge flow passage which are formed at left and right sides of the filter cartridge to be spaced apart from each other, such that an inlet and an outlet of a filter head communicate with each other in the filter cartridge, another spring must be used to operate the rack structure, and the supply flow passage and the discharge flow passage are spaced apart from each other, so that any bypass functions do not exist.
Therefore, because those described above are focused on stability in coupling rather than convenience in exchange, it is practically very difficult to exchange a filter.